Overtimes, droughts and the coaching carousel

Is the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup record of 10 consecutive overtime victories in danger this spring? That amazing run in 1993, which was accomplished on the road to the Habs last Stanley Cup championship, could face a challenge this spring as the Sharks are half way there with five OT wins, and half way to the Stanley Cup. They tried to force a sixth OT on Friday night against the Red Wings, but Detroit emerged with a late 4-3 win. It was the first time in eight games that San Jose didn’t win a one-goal decision.

Here’s a video reminder of the Habs great run in ’93…

…which featured the Conn Smythe Trophy goaltending of Patrick Roy, climaxing in the Finals when the Habs won three consecutive OT games, Game 2 at the Montreal Forum on an Eric Desjardins goal after the infamous Marty McSorley illegal stick penalty late in the game, and Games 3 and 4 at the Los Angeles Forum on goals by John LeClair.

In the 10 overtime victories, Roy did not allow a goal through 96 minutes and 39 seconds of sudden-death without allowing a goal — equal to more than a game and a half — and stopped 65 shots.

The Sharks have gotten two OT goals from Devin Setoguchi and one each from Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and rookie Benn Ferriero. Unlike Roy, goalie Antti Niemi has not been in the net the whole way so far for San Jose. In Game 3 of the Sharks first round series against the Kings, one of the wildest games of a wild opening round, Niemi was pulled early in the second period after the Kings scored their fourth consecutive goal to take a 4-0 lead. With Antero Nittymaki replacing him, the Sharks fought back to tie the game 5-5 by the end of the second period. Nittymaki made 11 saves before Setochuchi scored at 3:08 of overtime to win the game 6-5.

So Niemi’s overtime shutout streak stands at 33:30 over four games and he had to stop only 17 shots in extra time.

Bruins Droughts End: Two long scoreless streaks ended for Boston in their last two second round games against the Flyers. After going 0-for-30 on their power play in the post season, Milan Lucic with less than two minutes remaining in Game 3 during a 5-on-3 advantage. Boston had gone 0-for-21 in the seven games against the Canadiens, becoming the first team in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to win a seven-game series without the benefit of a power-play goal.

And in Game 4 against the Flyers, Milan Lucic scored his first goal in 20 games. In fact, he got two. The first was on the power play, giving the B’s a 2-for-37 mark after two rounds. Following a 30-goal regular season, Lucic’s dry spell had to be a concern for the Bruins and if he’s now back in the groove, that could mean trouble for Tampa Bay in the Conference Championship.

Since losing the first two games to the Canadiens, the Bruins have gone 8-1. Since losing three of the first four to the Penguins, the Lightning have gone 7-0. Could be a great matchup.

Claude Julien probably saved his job by guiding the Bruins into the Conference Championships, and after yesterday’s defeat of the Flyers, Lucic praised Julien for his calm after the Bruins fell behind 2-0 in the first round to the Habs. “It almost seemed like those first two games against Montreal we came out real tense,” said Lucic. “He just said, just relax. Go out there and play our game. Play with poise and play with confidence. After we were able to take a step back and start playing with confidence, having a positive attitude, which I think has been a big thing for us that Claude has been doing well. Keeping that attitude in the dressing room there, that positive attitude.”

The Coaching Carousel Spins: There has been speculation all season that Kirk Muller will likely leave the Canadiens coaching staff for a head coaching position someplace in the NHL. Pat Hickey is convinced that his destination is Dallas, where Kirk played in his final four seasons, but not much else has leaked out on that situation since the Stars ownership situation is unresolved.

(There was a flurry of rumors yesterday that the Stars might be moving, sparked by a story in The Dallas Business Journal, but that was shot down by the Stars. Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News has the details here and the sale of the team to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi, who will keep them in Dallas, seems to be proceeding. The Globe and Mail’s David Shoalts reported yesterday that Gaglardi will have a purchase agreement with the team’s creditors within the next two weeks and he could take control of the team by June.)

Rick Moffat of CJAD speculated this week that Muller might be headed to the Caps since Muller was once captain of the Devils when McPhee played there (although McPhee’s Devils career consisted of six games over two seasons).

Elsewhere, Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal reported Thursday that former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish is a candidate for the vacant job behind the Wild bench. MacT was interviewed by GM Chuck Fletcher two years ago but ultimately hired Todd Richards, who Fletcher fired after this past regular season.

The Wild are still in the early stages of the hiring process and Bruce Brothers in The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported today that Fletcher would not divulge specifics on his search for a new coach, saying only he’s talking to candidates and others, “but there’s certainly no rush. Nothing’s changed.”

Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, who also reported on MacTavish’s discussions with Fletcher, added “Former Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien, who scouted for the Wild last season, is said to be interested in the Wild vacancy.”

Brothers phoned Mike Keenan to see if Fletcher had contacted him, but it seems as if that hasn’t happened, although Keenan would like to coach again. Ken Hitchcock, who is currently coaching Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships, is also available and his name has been brought up in the media in connection with the vacant job in New Jersey.

Besides Dallas, Minnesota and New Jersey, there are current coaching vacancies with the Senators and Panthers. And while McPhee has said he’d like to have Bruce Boudreau return in Washington, owner Ted Leonsis has yet to be heard on that question.

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Packing: All the products are packed with original boxes and tags also retro cards/ code
numder

Features: AAA QUALITY, COMPETITIVE PRICE AND SERVICE
1) The goods are shipping by air express, such as EMS,the shipping time is in 5-7 business days
2) They are in stock now;
3) Various styles and color for clients’ choice
4) The Products are fit for most people, because of our wholesale price

I wonder with Muller there, whether we would improve. I know JM’s five on five only worked for two games out of the whole year! Ok, to be fair, we got ahead based also on Carey Price! If it was not for Price, JM’s five on five would not work.

When you don’t have enough scores, you’re going down and that’s what happened to the Habs–the Bruins had a couple more scores than the Habs and eventually it caught up to them when it became overtime–if they bring in 2 or 3 20 goal scores this summer to add to what we have they won’t have to worry about 8th position they’ll be close to the top april 2012..and a good run at the cup……..

Live by the sword die by the sword. If the bruins are wondering why there 2 top stars appear to have been repeatedly targeted over the last few years, they just have to look in the mirror. The dirty play by guys who really can’t be retaliated against like chara and lucic leaves guys like Bergeron and savard open to “he was just finishing his checks” hits.

Yes, it was a Colin Cambell approved hockey play. Of course the puck was long gone, Giroux saw that he had his head down and he could have eased up and knocked him on his ass rather then run over him, but that’s what you get when you play for a team that spends the season taking runs at people, when others get the chance to return in kind, they steamroll you.

JM’s defensive style of hockey is what made the inability to score a key part of the Habs demise. If JM had bigger forwards it would work for part of the year. But we forget how Gainey tried a similar style and it caused us nothing but injuries. For JM’s style to work he would need a big team, like the Ducks, imagine JM out west. He would be eaten alive. Really JM’s style of hockey is only good for Olympic sports. I say keep Muller, send JM to the bulldogs and we can get both the Stanley but also the junior hab cup too!

I know it’s probably old news but I just saw it – Bergeron got concussed by a Flyer. I say amen to that. Forget all that politically correct BS – bruins are dirty and deserve every injury they get. Chara, you’re next.

Timo—I hate the bruins but I love the way they play hockey—you call it dirty i call it good old fashioned canadian style hockey. I’m not sure why you are happy someone got hurt on boston–i don’t like seeing any player on any team get hurt

don’t take your anger out on the bruins b/c our management in montreal, especilly gainey prefer to have soft players that can’t sustain the physical play of the NHL and that is why we die out in the playoffs

I don’t blame Bruins for winning the series. they did what they had to do and Habs didn’t. I am angry at Bruins for nearly killing Max Pac and for all the cheap shot crap that they were pulling after that. Bergeron, who first hand experienced in the past what a head injury is never came out and to speak out again the crap that Chara pulled. Old boys club, yada, yada, stuff… I don’t care. I am not dancing from joy that he got injured, but I also do not feel sorry or any sympathy for him.

Timo–I understand what you are saying. I am frustrted on how we play hockey these days. Way, way too soft for me. Montreral always had the speed finise players but they also incorporated toughness, and grit. We lost to Boston b/c our 3rd and 4th lines couldn’t do what their 3rd and 4th line could do. Also, pleknac/AK, and gomez are stiffs. Especially plekanac, he gets all the hopes up in the world for hab fans, I read the comments on this site during the regualr season and I laugh and I say people just don’t get it with this guy, wait until the playoffs, and what happens, he disappears every year—the playoffs is war, its win at all cost–plekanac doesn’t like it on the ice in the playoffs so he diasspears—this team is way to soft end of story–the data speaks for itself

Pat S: you are completely in error about Plekanec being a “stiff.” He was one of the players who did his job to perfection during the playoffs: he didn’t get scored on and led the penalty kill unit that did not surrender even one power play goal to the Bruins. If Scott Gomez were not such a fycking pussy, Plekanec could be used against our opponents’ weaker lines and he would definitely produce even more. If the Habs could pick up a true first-line centre, Plekanec’s value would become more apparent.

They lost to Boston because their top 2 defence were out of the lineup (not to mention their young power forward who had 4 goals & 2 assists in 3 1/2 games against Boston this year). You put those 3 guys in the lineup and they take Boston in 4. The fact that they took them to OT 3 times including game 7 should tell you they played Boston even up with a decimated lineup (even having Desharnais back for game 7 might have been enough).

You’re completely out to lunch on Plekanec. Other than in the faceoff circle where he really suffered, he outplayed every Boston player they threw out against him. He was tied for 2nd in scoring on the team & was the top penalty killer. And he almost took Chara out with a savage hit along the boards.

The problem for Plekanec is that Martin insists on using 3 lines (and almost had it down to 2 lines for the last 2 games). Plekanec played over 25 minutes in one of the games in regulation. You can’t play a forward that many minutes and expect him to keep going at the top of his game indefinitely. What looks like him quitting is simple fatigue from being used too much.

This is the reason that Martin will never win a cup. It’s not that the Habs are too small or soft (they outhit Boston in the regular season and the playoffs), the problem is that you can’t play 3 lines and expect to make it all the way. Until Martin starts to trust his 3rd and 4th line guys he’ll never go the distance.

The weird part is that his 3rd and 4th line guys really came to play. Desharnais was a dynamo after he got comfortable (about the 3rd game) and Eller just got better and better as the series progressed. All Weber did was score every time he got a shift (good reason to keep him on the bench I guess). White hit everything that moved whenever he got off the bench and Halpern was great.

The only guys that really didn’t impress me were Darche and Moen (and Pouliot of course.) I’d say they should dump Moen as soon as possible. He can’t score and he no longer plays physical so I’m not sure what his role is supposed to be.

If Martin takes half of Gomez’s minutes and splits them between Desharnais and Eller, we win this series. What more can you say about a guy who is -6 in 7 games but somehow still gets mega minutes.

MyronSelby, i understand what you are saying, but at the end of the day we lost. Please, I don’t want to hear excuses. Plekanac, we can argue all night about him. We are too small and soft. End of story. Bruins bully us every gme we pay.

This is exactly why no one outside of Montreal can stand the Habs or their extremely classy fans. One of your guys gets hurt and there is a full on “investigation” when someone else gets hurt there is a parade. Get over it already you lost. The Habs were once a storied francise but for the last decade they’ve been notorious around the league for diving and crying! The Rocket would be ashamed of all the girls on the team..

Da Hema–point taken and your argument hs merit. However, I just think the habs are too soft and he is not my type of player. I’m not saying I’m right but he disappears when the going get tough on the ice.

Pat S, I agree with you somewhat. But what gets me is the very dirty very obvious dirty plays that are not part of good old time hockey we used to play and watch. You don’t have Gary Bettman making excuses for American teams. A dirty hit is a dirty hit. Let us call them for what they are. Granted the Bruins have some great players who play well, and are exciting to watch because of their high calibre of play etc. But overall, the team has an intention to injure. You can see it in Marchaund and Charra’s play, and every now and then Bergeron. No, when the other team intentionally try to injure, I say call it like it is. The Bruins have got away with murdering the habs, buts that because of the hate Bettman and Campbell have for anything that doesn’t look American.

the sedins are crapping right now in the playoffs, just like guys like plekanac/AK crap in the playoffs for us every year, and what do we do, we give plekanac a no trade clause as a reward—these guys should be packing and we should be getting playoff type players that are willing to pay the price to win

too mnay pretty boys, library boys on the habs–thats why teams like the flyers and the bruins bully us every year

i don’t know how people like this eurpoean style of hockey that the habs play

say whatever you want on this b/c i know people are going to come at me for saying this but at the end of the day we are on a golf course and its the same “my dog ate my homework”excuses

That’s what it’s about. Depth. The Sedins couldn’t get going so…they don’t go and put Torres on their line (Paying attention Habs management?) they put Burrows on there. Habs really really really need to improve on their depth. I think they’re stepping in the right direction but they have a lot of work to do. Really hope they’re active this offseason. Enough of this fringe playoff team crap.

Shows just how pathetic the NHL has gotten. Colin Cambell is more concerned about how a player snaps his head back when high-sticked than say all the missed high-sticks to the face St-Louis has received with no call?? What a complete, and pathetic joke Cambell is. If the owners get of their a$$’$ and do anything it should be getting rid of that tool Cambell.

I know everyone (including me) either agrees or disagrees in singing AM (I say no except for a 1 year) but what about Max Pac? I don’t know where he stands medically with his neck/back injury and concussion. What type of offer does he get from PG (I believe he’s a RFA) or doesPG not make him an offer. Unfortunatly for a really nice kid with a brigh future ahead of him had his world crashed in by Chara (who now has offically has become my #1 hated player overtaking Bertuzzi) and since hockey is a business and with the cap will PG take a chance with his health. I haven’t heard anywhere if he’s 100% or if he will ever play again. Will another take a chance on him? I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully back in a Habs uniform next year but the summer will be very interesting for him.

It’s not JM’s fault they can’t put the puck in the net and his system is what the NJ Devil’s used to win 3 stanley cups and believe it or not our buddy Gomez had a hand in it. so look at it which ever way you want not all JM’s fault……

He doesn’t develop or deal well with kids…way back to Sens days as he wanted to trade Spezza!? He is a nice man with a good system, but the kids are the future of the NHL. All of you complain about losing great young talent that become something elsewhere…is that Gomez’s fault too!?

N.J. won the cup in 2003–the last time the habs won 1993–how many coaches has been their since–I haven’t seen too many young players develope under the past coaches–so if you wanna blame JM, go for it–I don’t go along with everything he stands for like the rest of ya–I’m only a armchair Coach/Manager..JM has forgotten more about hockey than any of us guy’s that comment here will ever know….

And P.K has to apologize for everything he does when guys are celebrating all over the league as far back as Selanne. He never stands up for his players and he never tries to get the refs on his side. No one wants him to be a Ron Wilson or a John Tortorella, but it would be nice if he had a pulse. At some point we need to let the kids play and OHHHH make mistakes!!! It’s easier to go play in a crapy market…ask Vinnie who doesn’t have the guts to play in MTL.

Challenge a call, stick up for a player or show some emotion. He’s a dinosaur of days gone by.

But it is JM’s fault that he demands his team dump in and fall back to the neutral zone .

His system is counter productive in the offensive zone. One man forecheck and a glacially slow defense leads to no offensive zone time and no scoring.

… the fans of the Boston Bruins now have lost forever any right to complain that “the league” is out to get their team, and that the Montreal Canadiens have some kind of pull inside the NHL home office.

Are you satisfied with a first round exit? Our identity revolves around scorers and they all were down this season. We need to keep up with the times, on any other team P.K would not get scolded for being “P.K” ?

2) You could criticize Martin for sitting out PK. In the end he was a better player when he came back. Hence him getting top minutes towards the end of the season and the playoffs.

3) Dude we were just too tapped out on talent. Our team was good during the year but we did not have the team for the playoffs. Too many injuries to key players, especially on D. On the second thought. It is Martin’s fault that Gorges and Markov got injured. Come on… He did the best he could with the team he had. That is it. Last time I checked during the Boston series although we lost, he coached. he did what he could to try to win. He is not the players on the ice. The coach can do so much.

JM is the first legit coach the Habs have had since Demers. He’s done a good job with what he’s had. However, I’m a little bothered by how quickly some young players are put in the doghouse and pretty much tossed away for nothing.

Lapierre
Sergei
O’Byrne
Guillaume

Who wouldn’t have liked these guys on the team going into the playoffs?

At this point I’m rooting for the West to win the cup with a slight preference for San Jose. Either you’d have ex-habs Higgins & Lapierre getting rings or Niemi becoming an anti-Hossa being on two different stanley cup winning teams in two consecutive seasons.

Obviously I don’t want the Bruins to win it.

Finally having a Lightning team with M.A. Bergeron on defence winning the cup would be laughable not to mention all the cries of “we should’ve kept Boucher” that would certainly follow.

I’m pretty sure the “we should’ve kept Boucher” cries have been going on for a long while now. If TB wins the cup you’ll just see the same regular group of moron trolls that post here crying about it even more.

Hi Steven,
Mostly we agree but i think we need the Wiz if we can’t sign a big hitting d-man or forward as he is a lot tougher (and we still need that as he was fighting days after taking off his facial shield) than Webber whose play has improved but he seems to be more of a Mark Streit who could go from defense to forward and who we should have kept.

The toughness factor completely slipped my mind, but I think, like you said, we can get a big hitting d-man or a forward in his place. I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a big mean winger for the 4th line for next season(don’t ask me who I have in mind, cuz I don’t have anyone in particular) and make Wizniewski replaceable.

It sucks we gave up a 2nd for him, but we’re better off with Weber and someone cheap who’s just as tough(that would come up to no more than 2M if I’m right) than Wiz who would cost over 3M.

The Habs did well this year with a combination of 6-A forwards and 8-B forwards

The A-forwards were: Cammalleri, Desharnais, Gionta, Kostitsyn,
Plekanec, Pacioretty
The B-forwards were: Darche, Eller, Halpern, Moen, Pouliot, Pyatt,
White, Gomez.
if we could bring in three A forwards to replace Three B forwards
for the third line–keep the four best B forwards for the Fourth line my choice would be–Eller, Pouliot, White, moen, we would have the makings of a real good team..not sure that can be done but it’s a thought……

can’t buy Eller made more progress this year than DD, when DD played 34 games less and had more goals and points–don’t ever make the comment about smurfs to ST.LOUIS he may not have a friendly answer. as for weber and wiz. in the long haul I’d stick with weber but you don’t get too many chances at winning a cup anymore. what happens you build a good team, win a cup than the team can’t afford to keep most of them and you start all over
that’s life in the NHL 3 or 4 players hog most of the money, therefore good by team..that’s why the Habs can’t make the big step, too many money hogs for what they do……..